


Unclaimed Baggage

by imafriendlydalek



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (this was supposed to be silly but took a turn for the decidedly smutty), Airports, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Anal Sex, Angst and Feels, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Porn, Blow Jobs, Bottom Tony Stark, Emotional Baggage, Emotions, Hotel Sex, Justin Hammer is an ass, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mentions of canon violence, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Pre-Movie(s), Semi-Public Sex, Sorry Not Sorry, Tony Stark Feels, Tony pre-Afghanistan, Top Bucky Barnes, also not sorry about their rather creative interpretation of "Baby It's Cold Outside", and also literal baggage, mentions of Bucky losing his arm, mentions of turture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 10:12:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5493488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imafriendlydalek/pseuds/imafriendlydalek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark was not made for flying commercial. What the heck did his luggage look like?!</p>
<p>Luckily a friendly stranger is willing to help him find his bag (after Tony almost takes his). Tony repays the favor with coffee. A few misunderstandings and some fun at the hotel ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unclaimed Baggage

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the 2015 WinterIron Holiday Exchange. My gift recipient asked for, among other things, kidnappings, miscommunication, D/s, anything that makes Justin Hammer look bad. Hope this works for you!
> 
> Many thanks go to Lienwyn and orbingarrow, who listened to me whine about how hard (hehe) it is to write sex scenes and who caught all the many times I wrote TOny and BUcky because I suck at typing.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to the hilariously, painfully antiquated baggage claim system at Newark Airport, and to SAS Airlines, because if they hadn't screwed up my flight and lost my luggage, this would never have happened.

Tony stared at the baggage carousel in disbelief, still not willing to accept the miserable turn his day had taken as he watched the conveyor spit out suitcases. What a stupid system. The bags came out either at an agonizingly slow trickle or five at a time so that they all slip on top of each other and it was impossible to get any of the bags out from under the pile.

There had to be a better way.

Tony could fix that.

He watched as a man well past middle age tugged helplessly at one of the bags in the pile while the bags trundled along on the conveyor belt. The man’s wife gestured wildly at the bag. As if that would help.

What had Tony done to deserve this?

Okay, scratch that. This was clearly punishment for one of his many sins. He tried to think back on the most recent ones, but his head throbbed.

Tony Stark was not made for flying commercial.

He massaged his temples lightly as he scanned the carousel for his bag. He had absolutely no idea what it looked like. It was black; he was fairly sure of that much at least. Probably.

Except all of the bags were black, it seemed. Well, except the overstuffed hiking backpacks with all those iron-on patches of various countries’ flags and the occasional red hardcase suitcase. Well fuck.

This was clearly Pepper’s sick idea of a joke. He’d spontaneously taken the jet to Vegas and _had_ been having a pretty excellent time - some sort of modeling convention or something like that was in town - but then Pepper had called and the fun had ended. He was needed in New York to put in an appearance at some defcon gathering, Obie had taken the jet to London and the other was in for repairs.

And every single charter flight was full and out, at least the planes big enough to fly across the country.

Well shit.

He’d tried to get Rhodey to loan him a plane - what’s the point in having a pilot’s license if you never fly, after all - but that traitorous ass had just laughed at him. Laughed! And Tony had thought they were friends!

And so Tony had ended up here, waiting for his bag to tumble out of the chute with the other bags. He was about to give up - he could just buy new stuff - when a black case appeared with a Stark Industries logo luggage tag on its handle. Tony didn’t remember his bag having one of those, but that had to be his. He didn’t remember packing it either, after all, and this one did literally have his name written on it.

He stepped forward to heave the bag from the carousel, pulled up the handle and had just started towards the exit when he felt a hand on his arm.

“Excuse me,” a voice said behind him.

Shit. Tony was not in the mood to be recognized today. He was way too hungover for this.

But the hand was still there, and as Tony moved to step away, the man spoke again, this time more insistently. “Excuse me, sir. That’s my bag.”

Tony stopped and looked down at the bag, the dark leather shoes standing next to it, and followed the line of the black jeans up to a pair of dangerously blue eyes. 

Recognition flickered over the man’s face as Tony pulled off his sunglasses and their eyes met, but it was replaced almost immediately by a look of slightly amused ennui.

“It has my name on it,” Tony objected.

The corners of the man’s lips - and shit, they were beautiful lips - quirked up slightly.

“It has your _logo_ on it, but I believe you’ll find that the name on the tag-” he reached out and flicked the luggage tag over “-is in fact mine.”

Tony craned his neck to look at the tag. Fancy that.

He let out a huff of breath. “Well, James Barnes of Brooklyn, NY, I suppose you’re right. If you are, in fact, James Barnes. How does a man like yourself come to have an SI luggage tag?”

Barnes shrugged, the motion barely detectable. “Buddy of mine from Basic gave it to me a few years ago. He used to work there.”

The man did have an air about him that indicated a military background, there was no denying it. The slightly stiff posture, the polished shoes, the way he managed not to look rumpled at all even after a flight halfway across the country.

“So what brought you to Vegas? Bachelor party? Furlough weekend of debauchery?” It was a bit of an overstep, prying like that, and Tony cringed inwardly as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth. Stupid hangover.

Barnes seemed to take it in stride, though. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked Tony over. “Wedding. Adorable little affair in a tiny chapel.” His lips quirked in a smile. “Not in Las Vegas, though. This is the baggage carousel for the flight from Chicago.”

Tony felt his shoulders slump. Shit. That probably explained why he hadn’t seen his bag.

As if he could read Tony’s mind, Barnes added “I think the bags from the Las Vegas flight are over on carousel 3.” He pointed towards an ancient display screen that listed the recent arrivals.

Tony was definitely considering just leaving his bag and buying new stuff, if the bag hadn’t also had his latest project in it. That was why they’d forced him to check it in the first place when he’d tried to go through security in Las Vegas - apparently screwdrivers and soldering irons were not allowed in hand luggage. 

He nodded distractedly. “Shit, I thought it was here,” he replied quietly.

Flying commercial officially sucked.

He had taken three steps towards the other baggage carousel when he was stopped again by Barnes’ hand on his arm. He looked up at Barnes with narrowed eyes. “What is it, Barnes? Can’t get enough?”

Barnes pulled his hand away quickly, the warmth in his eyes disappearing instantly. “You still have my bag.”

Oh. Right. “Sorry. I, uh, lose track of things sometimes. Here,” Tony mumbled as he shoved the bag towards Barnes and stalked off towards the other baggage carousel. He didn’t bother to turn around to see if Barnes had taken the bag. He just wanted to get his own bag and get out of this god-forsaken hellhole some people called an airport.

“Hey, Mr. Stark, hang on.” Barnes had appeared behind Tony. “How about we go find your bag and then you let me buy you a cup of coffee. You look like you could use one.”

Tony couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Gee thanks, Barnes. You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself.”

The smile faded from Barnes’ face and he ran a hand through his close-cropped hair.

Tony found himself wanting to do the same. 

“Sorry. That came out wrong. Not how I meant it. I meant, I’m guessing you usually fly in a big fancy private jet where they bring your bag to you, and the coffee is probably better than the swill they serve on Delta. So maybe you could use a decent cup o’ coffee right about now.”

He was definitely from Brooklyn, Tony mused, revelling in the way he pronounced it “cawfee”. Tony had half a mind to keep needling him in the hopes of getting him to say it again, but he decided not to push his luck. 

“That’d be great, yeah. I could kill for some decent ‘cawfee’.” He couldn’t resist teasing Barnes just a little. “You can call me Tony, by the way.”

Tony held out a hand, which Barnes clasped as he shook it. His hands were warm, his handshake firm. Just the way Tony liked it.

“Well you know my name already, though everyone calls me Bucky, actually.” 

Tony couldn’t help a laugh. “Bucky? Really? What, did you lose a bet?”

Barnes shrugged. “We had a lot of Jameses in our grade in school. It was easier to give us nicknames. And it just kinda stuck.” 

“Well, _Bucky_ , thanks for sticking around, and sorry again about the mix-up. You’re right, by the way, I don’t usually fly commercial.”

Bucky huffed out a quiet laugh. “Welcome to how the 99 percent lives. By the way, that bag looks a lot like mine. Is that yours?” He pointed at a black hardcase bag that was almost identical to his own.

“Could be, yeah,” Tony said as he stepped forward to pluck it from the carousel. 

“Better check the label just to be safe,” Bucky teased.

Tony shot him a glare, which Bucky responded to by laughing loudly.

The label did, in fact, have Tony’s name on it.

“Satisfied now, Buckaroni?”

“Yeah,” Bucky huffed, running a hand down his stomach as if to hold in more laughter. “Would hate to see you try and take some innocent bystander’s bag thinking it was your own.” 

There was a mischievous twinkle in Bucky’s eye. 

“You know, Bucky, you’re lucky you’re easy on the eyes or I might just go grab that coffee on my own.”

Bucky straightened, shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, then pulled one out again quickly when he realized he needed it to pull his bag. “Sorry, I thought you could take a joke.”

Tony couldn’t tell if Bucky was offended or just had a really dry sense of humor. He decided to gamble on the latter as he put on his flashiest grin.

“With a name like Bucky, I would have thought you could too.” 

His bet paid off as the expression on Bucky’s face softened to an amused half-smile. “Come on, Stark, we clearly both need caffeine.”

Tony followed Bucky’s lead, since he seemed to know his way around the airport, until he realized they were headed towards the subway station and not the passenger pickup area.

“Okay, sorry Buckster, but there’s a limit to how much adventuring I can handle in one day. Plus the car’s already been paid for and it wouldn’t be fair to stand Ray up.”

Bucky looked obviously confused, so Tony clarified. 

“I’ve got a car waiting outside. Pepper might be mad at me, but not mad enough to make me take the A train.” Tony shuddered at the thought.

“Alright, fine,” Bucky agreed with an amused smile. “But you gotta drop me off at my place after.”

‘How about I just take you back to mine instead?’ Tony wanted to reply, and he thought about it for a second, but opted for the safer response. “I think we can manage that, Buckaroo.”

Ray, Tony’s driver whenever he was in New York, was waiting for him right where Pepper said he would be and loaded Tony’s and also Bucky’s bag into the trunk with a knowing smile. It was not the first time Tony had showed up with an extra passenger, after all.

“Slight change of destination though, Ray,” Tony informed the driver. “Pit stop for coffee and then a detour to Hipster Central to drop off Barnesy here.”

“I do not live in Hipster Central,” Bucky protested.

“Bucky, darling, the entirety of Brooklyn is Hipster Central. You just might have become blind to it from living there too long.”

“Hey, I lived in Brooklyn before it was cool.”

Tony let out a snort as he slid into the car.

***

The coffee shop Bucky directed them to was possibly the most hipster place Tony had ever been to, with the walls painted dark purple and the drinks given funky names like ‘Prospect Park’ for a half-caf non-fat mocha latte and ‘Strong Islander’ for a triple-shot cappuccino. The baristas seemed to be having a competition to see who could fit more tattoos on their arms; the one whose name tag said was called Mary-May seemed to be winning.

They settled into one of the sagging couches in the corner with their drinks, served in massive mismatched cups the size of a toddler’s head (which suited Tony perfectly). Conversation came easily, and Tony caught himself enjoying Bucky’s company more by the minute.

Maybe a little too much, since he was too wrapped up in wondering how to get Bucky to come back to his hotel with him and if he would even be interested in that sort of thing - it was so hard to tell with these Brooklyn types these days, with everyone running around in skinny jeans - to notice that Bucky had asked him a question.

It wasn’t until Bucky was staring silently at Tony, his expression growing increasingly sour, that he realized Bucky had stopped talking. It’s not that the story Bucky had been telling about the time he and his friend Sam had played an elaborate prank on his best friend Steve during basic training hadn’t been interesting - quite the opposite, in fact, as it reminded Tony of some of the things he’d pulled on Rhodey. He’d just gotten side-tracked.

“I’m boring you,” Bucky said, frowning into his mug as he drained the rest of his coffee. “Sorry. You probably have much more important things to do than listen to dumb army stories.”

Tony wanted to object, to stop Bucky as he stood up, took his and Tony’s empty cups and brought them to the cart for used cups. But for some reason, the right words wouldn’t come.

“Keynote speech isn’t until tomorrow,” he blurted. “And I never write these things beforehand anyway.”

Bucky smoothed the front of his shirt. It was horribly distracting, watching him run a hand down his stomach, then shove both hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “I’ve got some stuff to take care of too, actually. Thanks for the coffee, though.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Tony found his feet, trailing behind Bucky as he made his way to the door with swift, long strides.

Bucky stopped only when they had reached the car and turned to face Tony.

“My place is just around the corner-” Bucky started, and Tony’s baser instincts were already finishing the sentence in his head.

“I’d love to come up for coffee.”

“-so I can walk from here,” Bucky finished at the same time. He pulled back at Tony’s words, playing idly with the zipper of his jacket. “Uh, that is not what I was looking for.”

Tony felt his shoulders slump. Bucky had been hard to read - was he not into men, or just not into Tony? Didn’t really matter either way, since Bucky was already taking his bag from Ray.

“Sorry, think I got the wrong-”

“Thanks for the lift, and good luck with your speech tomorrow, Mr. Stark.” Bucky didn’t wait for a reply from Tony. He’d already turned and taken a few steps along the sidewalk before he called over his shoulder “Have a good one!”

Tony stood rooted in place, still not sure what had just happened, as he watched Barnes disappear around the corner. A chill wind kicked up, blowing cold air over the back of his neck, but Tony ignored the shiver. Finally he let out a sigh and slid into the car. As he watched the buildings pass by his window, he couldn’t help feeling that Brooklyn was sorely over-hyped.

***

Tony swirled the sip of whiskey left in his glass idly. The ice cubes clinked against each other, creating waves in the amber liquid.

He had messed up. He’d been so busy thinking about getting Bucky into bed that he’d missed Step Two: show him you’re a decent enough human to go to bed with.

Well, it hadn’t been the first time he’s struck out and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

He sighed and drained the glass, barely feeling the burn of the alcohol in the back of his throat.

“Rough day?” a voice spoke behind him.

Tony would have brushed the clichéed line off had the voice not been so familiar.

“You have no idea,” he replied without turning.

Bucky slid onto the bar stool next to Tony. “Wanna tell me about it?” he asked as he signalled the bartender for two drinks.

Tony finally turned to face Bucky, letting his eyes rake over his body. He was dressed much less casually this time. The black button-down only emphasized his muscular build and holy hell, he was actually wearing skinny jeans. Tony couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done it on purpose because Tony teased him by saying that all Brooklynites under 45 wore skinny jeans, or if that was just actually how he dressed. Either way, Tony had to admit that he liked the look. At least on Barnes.

“Well, you know, classic example of guy meets guy, guy likes guy but totally misreads the situation like the jackass he is and completely blows it. And then guy has to spend all of the next day rubbing elbows with people he hates.”

“Sounds rough alright,” Bucky replied, his voice even-toned. He shrugged slightly and met Tony’s gaze before continuing. “But, you know, maybe the other guy will realize he was being an idiot too. He probably had a lot on his mind, and it might take his two best friends reminding him that life is short, really short sometimes, before he realizes that he should jump on a good thing when he sees one.”

Bucky had leaned closer as he spoke. Their knees were pressed against each other, and he was close enough for Tony to feel the heat radiating from his body.

Tony swallowed, purposefully lowering his voice when he replied. “You know, spend any time online and you’re bound to read that I’m known to be a good thing,” he drawled.

That earned him a laugh from Bucky.

“Yeah? Well, I’ve also read that you think very highly of yourself.”

“Bold-faced lies, all of them,” Tony replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Embodiment of humble, that’s me. The humblest of humble men in Humbletown.”

Bucky smiled as he took a sip of the drink the bartender had placed in front of each of them. “Yeah, I see that now. This is good whiskey.”

Tony looked Bucky over appreciatively. “Always nice to see a fellow whiskey appreciator. How’d you know to find me here?”

Bucky shrugged nonchalantly, swallowing another sip of whiskey down before he replied. “You’re not that hard to find, Tony Stark. Heard there was a conference you were giving the keynote at, figured you’d probably head to the bar after.” His lips quirked in a smile, as if he were planning something. “Didn’t even have to use any of my recon training.”

Tony angled himself towards Bucky and leaned close, his voice low. “Recon training, huh? Sounds dangerous.”

Bucky had just opened his mouth to reply when he was interrupted by someone calling Tony’s name.

Tony winced as soon as he recognized the voice. “Shit. How quickly do you think we can make it to the exit?”

Bucky’s eyes jumped towards the entry to the hotel bar, but it was too late.

“Anthony! Fancy meeting you here!”

“Shove it, Hammer. We’re all here for the same conference,” Tony ground out between clenched teeth. God, he hated that man. 

“I must say, Anthony, that speech you gave earlier, that was one for the history books.” Hammer climbed up onto the bar stool on Tony’s left side, much to Tony’s chagrin.

“D’you mind? I’m kinda in the middle of something, and I’m never in the mood to see you.” Tony didn’t even bother hiding his disdain.

That’s when Hammer’s gaze wandered to the man sitting to Tony’s right. “Oh, am I interrupting? Tony, you sly dog.”

“Can’t all be perpetually alone like you, Hammer. Justin Hammer, James Barnes. James Barnes, meet the world’s biggest sycophant.” Tony waved idly between the two as he introduced them, then hid his frown in a long sip of his whiskey.

“Now, now, Anthony, let’s not use hostility to hide the fact that your speech bombed.” A toothy grin spread over Hammer’s face. “Bombed. Get it?”

Tony pushed aside the urge to punch the man in the face. It wasn’t worth getting blood on his shirt for. He liked this shirt.

“Now, now, Justin, let’s not use terrible jokes to hide the fact that they never ask you to speak at these things.” Tony shifted so his shoulder was in Hammer’s face, a clear sign even Hammer should be able to get that their conversation was over.

Hammer was clearly perturbed by Tony’s actions and peered around his other side to give Bucky a once-over. “I must say, Anthony, I never would have pegged you to be a man’s man. What, did you run out of women?”

Alright, that was it. There was a line, and Hammer had just crossed it.

Tony drew in a sharp breath and stood to his full height. He was about to turn around and give Hammer a piece of his mind when Bucky’s hand settled on his wrist. Their eyes met for a second, a fiendish half-smile flickering over Bucky’s face before he leaned around Tony to address Hammer.

“Justin Hammer, is it? Of Hammer Industries?”

Hammer’s chest puffed out a little at the question.

Tony rolled his eyes.

“The one and only,” Hammer replied with a wink.

Bucky gave him an easy nod, leaning casually against the bar. “You know, I had a Hammer rifle on my last tour.”

“Oh yeah, you served?” There was no denying the incredulous tone in Hammer’s voice that someone dressed in skinny jeans like those could have served in the armed forces.

“Still on active duty. Heading out again soon.” He raised his glass to his lips, taking a sip before he added “Hope they give me something better this time though. Damn thing kept jamming on me.”

He knocked back the rest of his drink and took Tony’s hand, jerking his head subtly towards the door to indicate that they should leave.

Tony followed willingly, glancing over his shoulder quickly to revel in the way Hammer was left standing there with his mouth agape.

***

The elevator doors had barely slid shut before Bucky was crossing the small space between them, sliding a hand around Tony’s waist and pulling him close. He stopped when they were mere inches apart, caught Tony’s eyes in his gaze and just looked down at him.

Tony was about to make a flippant remark - anything to break the intensity of his gaze - when Bucky surged forward, crashing their lips together in a hungry kiss.

He tasted of whiskey and warmth, an intoxicating sweetness Tony wanted to lick out of the corners of Bucky’s mouth, to keep for himself, to drown himself in.

It was over much too fast. Damn modern elevators, couldn’t they be slower when you needed them to be?

Tony caught himself drawing out schematics in his head as the doors opened and Bucky pulled away, untangling himself from where he had pushed Tony up against the elevator wall.

Tony was used to being the one making the first move, to doing the pushing-against-walls. This was new, and different, and Tony found he liked it. He really liked it.

He adjusted himself carefully before stepping out of the elevator, pulling Bucky along by the hand tucked into the waist of those ridiculous skinny jeans - though Tony had to admit, he was starting to see the appeal. Even if he didn’t see why anyone would wear them when they _weren’t_ actively trying to pick someone up. They had to be fairly constricting, he mused as he caught sight of the tell-tale bulge at the front of Bucky’s pants. Best to get poor Barnes out of those quickly, Tony thought with an amused smile as he dragged him towards the door to his suite.

It was tough, trying to get that damn keycard in the swipey thing when Bucky was gnawing at his neck like that.

“Focus, Stark,” he mumbled aloud as he tried it a third time. Bucky chuckled softly in his ear between kisses, and that really wasn’t helping.

Finally Tony got the card in the right way around and that glorious green light blinked to grant them entry. He pushed the door open, Bucky stumbling in after him, and kicked it shut again with his heel as he shrugged off his suit jacket.

“Holy shit,” Bucky drawled, his voice that delicious mix of unimpressed disbelief. He grinned broadly as he turned slowly on his axis, taking in the panoramic view of Midtown Manhattan.

Tony caught himself smiling fondly. It was probably just because it was nice to see someone else so in awe of the view he rarely got excited about anymore. Not at the way Bucky’s eyes were lit up - his whole face, really - and how he was now staring at Tony as if _he_ were part of this spectacular view. It was a pretty nice view, Tony had to admit. The Empire State Building was lit up in green and red and it must have started snowing a few hours ago since the buildings were now all covered in a light dusting. A few flakes swirled past the window Bucky was now leaning against.

As much as Tony had come to appreciate the year-round convertible weather of Malibu, he had to admit, snow flurrying down in New York City did have its charm.

A charm Tony would prefer to take in with Bucky pressed against that window, calling out Tony’s name as the snow came down behind him.

Tony smiled at the thought as he crossed the room to where Bucky stood staring out over the city. The lustful hunger between them in the elevator was gone, even the dazzling excitement from a minute ago had been replaced with something that seemed more like introspective reflection with a hint of sadness.

No, not good. There was a time and place for everything, and now was not a time for sadness.

Tony slid a hand reassuringly up Bucky’s back, and that seemed to pull him out of whatever thoughts had pushed in.

Bucky turned to look at Tony, a hint of a smile spreading over his face, the light glinting in his eye again.

Good, excellent, mission accomplished, Tony thought as he ran his hand up the back of Bucky’s neck, over the soft stubble of the neatly trimmed hair there, before pulling him close for a kiss.

Bucky’s lips parted eagerly, but the fierceness from before was gone, replaced now with what felt more like savouring enjoyment. It was as if he didn’t want the moment to end, wanted to draw it out as long as possible, and Tony found himself wanting the same.

A hand came up and settled between them on Tony’s chest, fingers splayed wide, the warmth seeping through Tony’s shirt and into his body. Tony brought his own hand - the one that wasn’t busy running through Bucky’s hair - up to settle at the small of Bucky’s back. He used it to pull the other man closer, realizing only after that he was now the one pushed up against the glass. He somehow didn’t mind at all.

Especially not when Bucky braced himself against the window as he slotted his legs between Tony’s, aligning their bodies and _grinding_ into him. A groan escaped from the back of Tony’s throat. His cock jumped in excitement, already half-hard.

Bucky tugged at Tony’s tie, working the knot open and dragging the fabric across Tony’s neck before tossing it on the floor beside them. Tony almost wanted to protest - it had been expensive - but it suddenly didn’t matter at all. In fact, Tony wouldn’t even mind if Barnes did worse with it, like maybe tied Tony to the bedframe while he sucked him off. He could easily buy another, after all.

Bucky, in the meantime, had moved on to kissing his way down Tony’s jawline as he undid the buttons of Tony’s shirt. It was exhilarating, the warm breath ghosting over his pulse, the soft tickle of Bucky’s lips on the sensitive skin of his neck, the nimble movement of Bucky’s hands as he pushed Tony’s shirt off his shoulders, tugged it free from where it was tucked into his pants and tossed it next to his tie. The firm press of Bucky’s hips into Tony’s, the grind of their erections against each other through the terribly constricting fabric of their pants…

The same thought seemed to have crossed Bucky’s mind, since his hands were now busy with Tony’s belt buckle, even as those delicious lips of his were still working their way across Tony’s now-exposed collarbone.

Tony felt his pants being tugged down, boxers right along with the. The glass was cold against his bare bottom, but he didn’t have the mental capacity to wince about it because Bucky was cupping his balls lightly, running a thumb up along his shaft, leaning down to nibble at Tony’s nipple.

“Oh, fuck me.” The words slipped out of Tony without him realizing.

“In a bit,” Bucky drawled, catching Tony’s gaze as he sank to his knees. “First things first.”

There was a devilish glint in Bucky’s eyes, which didn’t leave Tony’s as he lapped at the head of Tony’s cock before taking him entirely into his mouth.

Holy hell. Tony wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay on his legs if Bucky kept _that_ up. He clutched desperately at the cold glass, finding nothing to hold onto as Bucky’s tongue ran up the underside of his cock, tapped lightly at that spot just under the head.

“Fuuuuuck,” Tony muttered.

Bucky responded with a low chuckle, which send vibrations through Tony’s entire body that just made matters worse. 

Or better. 

Depending on how you look at it. 

Barnes was much too good at this. It was almost unfair and, frankly, kind of embarrassing how quickly Tony realized he was going to have to stop this if they were going to be doing anything else tonight. And Tony very much wanted to do more.

“Shit, Bucky, you’re - I’m gonna need you to stop, as much as it pains me to say.”

Bucky pulled back and looked up at Tony.

Shit.

Tony continued, if mostly to fill the silence. “Sorry Buckster, you’ll find that once you pass thirty, rapid-fire sex sessions become increasingly difficult. And I’d hate to have the evening end here…”

Bucky smiled, placed a wet kiss on the head of Tony’s cock and rose slowly to his feet. He stood close, almost uncomfortable close considering Tony was completely naked and Bucky lamentably still had all his clothes on.

Tony suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable.

“What did you have in mind?” Bucky asked, his voice low and husky.

Tony flashed a grin. “Well, you seemed to like the living room, but just _wait_ ‘til you see the bedroom…”

Bucky cocked his head to the side. “Oh yeah?”

There was a wild hunger in his eyes, and Tony found himself struggling for words. Which was very new for him.

He nodded weakly.

“I don’t know, Tony,” Bucky said as if considering the offer. “I kinda like you pushed up against the window like this.”

Tony let out a huff of laughter and was about to reply that he preferred to be the one pushing the other against the window, except he suddenly didn’t mind the idea at all.

In fact he quite liked it.

Bucky seemed to have picked up on that, judging by his grin.

Tony gulped. “Let me just… get some supplies,” he said, pushing Bucky aside with a hand on his hip. 

“Feel free to help yourself to the mini-bar,” he called over his shoulder as he headed for the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself, stopping to splash some cold water on his face before hunting around in his bag for condoms and lube.

This was unaccustomed territory for him. It was rare for him to take a man up to his room - he did generally prefer women, after all, and it was easier that way if the press caught wind of it. And on the occasions that he did, he had always been the one initiating things. The one on top.

But there was something about Bucky, the easy confidence in the way he kissed, in how he took what he wanted, that made Tony want to stop hiding behind his Tony Stark, Genius Billionaire, mask and actually let someone in.

He turned the water on again, let the cool water run over his wrists. It was a silly way to think. This was just a one-night stand, after all. Come morning, this would just be a fond memory.

He shut the tap with a sigh and dried his hands. Might as well make it a good one then, he thought as he headed back out into the living room.

Bucky had draped himself casually over the sofa, legs splayed invitingly. He held a tumbler of whiskey in his left hand, his right tucked up behind his head.

Tony felt his brain crash and reboot. He finally managed to will his legs to work, crossing the rest of the room and setting down the supplies on the coffee table before straddling Bucky. He plucked the glass from his hand and drained it, then set the empty tumbler down next to the lube.

“Hey,” Bucky protested half-heartedly, using his now-empty hand to pull Tony down for a kiss.

God he was delicious. The taste of whiskey still lingered on his lips, sweet yet bitter, and Tony nipped at his lower lip playfully.

That seemed to push the right buttons, since Bucky responded with a low groan and by grinding up into Tony.

The kiss deepened, each pushing for more as if trying to gain the upper hand.

The buttons of Bucky’s shirt had clearly been invented by Satan and glued shut using the Force, Tony decided as he fumbled with them, lost patience and gave the shirt a sharp tug. There was a ripping sound and a cascade of pings as the buttons hit the glass coffee table.

“Hey!” Bucky protested in earnest this time.

“I’ll buy you another one,” Tony mumbled against Bucky’s left pectoral. “I’m good for it.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Bucky said with a roll of his eyes. He settled further back into the couch, allowing Tony better access to his torso.

And damn, a fine one it was. He was solid muscle, which had somehow been hidden by his clothes until now. And wasn’t that a crying shame, Tony thought as he made it his mission to expose as much of Bucky Barnes as possible. 

Bucky followed Tony’s cue, hitching his hips up to allow Tony to tug his pants off.

Tony caught himself licking his lips when Bucky’s cock sprang free of his pants. He reached out for it, his fingers longing to curl around its length and feel his hardness, but Bucky stopped him with a playful swat.

“Nuh-uh,” he said, a slight reprimanding tone in his voice.

Tony shot him a questioning look.

Bucky’s eyes grew dark. “You said I could fuck you against the window. I’m holding you to that.”

Tony smirked and threw a mock salute. “Aye, sir.”

“Go stand against the window and put your hands on the glass. His tone was commanding, and Tony felt a jolt of desire fire through him.

He pushed back and rolled off Bucky, crossed the room in quick strides and pressed his palms against the glass as he had been told.

Seconds passed and there was no sound, nothing from Bucky to indicate that what Tony was doing was right.

Finally Bucky’s reflection appeared in the glass behind Tony’s own reflection. A hand came up and curled around Tony’s chest as Bucky pressed firm kisses into his shoulder blade.

Tony watched their reflections as Bucky’s mouth trailed down his back. He let out a soft groan when Bucky grabbed his hips with both hands and pulled him into himself, his cock pressing against Tony’s ass.

Bucky’s mouth was on his back again, hot kisses alternated with light nips as he worked his way across Tony’s body.

It was hot, seeing his own reflection in the glass with Bucky just behind him. Hopefully no one in any of the many buildings around them had a telescope or telephoto lens pointed at them. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time… Tony had never felt so exposed before, but at the same time it only heightened his excitement and anticipation.

He hitched his hips back, grinding against Bucky in a desperate attempt to speed things up.

Bucky responded with a chuckle. “Easy now. In due time.” 

He pulled away, and Tony whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth and contact. 

There was the sound of the tube of lube being opened and then Bucky was back, pulling their bodies close so his chest was pressed against Tony’s back. Tony leaned into the contact, felt his eyes flutter when Bucky’s fingers ghosted over his entrance.

“Relax,” Bucky hummed in his ear, his fingers swirling the ring of muscle. “I’m gonna make you feel good.”

“Already are, Buckaroo,” Tony ground out. He felt his jaw clench as Bucky pushed a finger in. Christ, it had been a really long time since he had done this. He pushed out a deep breath, willed himself to relax. He could do this. He wanted to do this. Shit, did he ever.

“There ya go, good,” Bucky murmured, nipping at his ear as he carefully added a second finger.

Tony flexed his hands, pushing harder against the glass while Bucky slowly, carefully worked him open. Fuck, he’d forgotten how good that felt. He let out a string of obscenities when Bucky’s fingers pushed against that one spot and his vision whited out momentarily.

Bucky had three fingers inside him now and they slid easily in, out, in as Bucky worked him over. Bucky was looking down at his hand, his brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he fingered Tony’s asshole. And holy hell, that was a sight to behold. Tony briefly found himself wishing someone _was_ filming just so he could replay it forever. Maybe he could get Bucky to come back to Malibu with him - plenty of cameras in the house there.

Okay, first things first, though. Focus on the moment, Stark.

Tony could feel the anticipation welling up. He was ready. He’d never been so ready. He _needed_ Barnes to fuck him.

“Fuck, Barnes, think you’ve put in enough prep time, buddy. Just fuck me already.”

There was a low chuckle as Bucky pushed his hand into Tony again, harder this time. “I dunno,” he said, his voice even and unhurried. “I kinda like you begging.”

Tony let his head slump against the window with a groan, but thankfully Bucky slid his fingers out slowly. There was a crinkling sound, undeniably the condom wrapper being torn open, followed by the lube being opened again. Tony lifted his head again and watched in the reflection as Bucky rolled the condom on, stroked lube over himself, then worked more into Tony with his fingers. 

He was about ready to die of anticipation.

Bucky ran his other hand down Tony’s back, then curled around his hip to pull him back into himself.

“Keep those hands on the glass,” he commanded.

A surge of excitement rolled through Tony at those words. Yes, he would. He would follow Bucky’s instructions. He could do that, he told himself.

Bucky rolled his hips, pressing forward as he aligned himself with Tony.

Fuck, that was good, Tony thought as Bucky pushed into him slowly. Unaccustomed, but really fucking good. Bucky, the bastard, didn’t stop until he was all the way in, then stopped. He waited, unmoving. It was like Bucky was inside him - well he was, but more like they’d somehow merged and Bucky and Tony were now one entity. Tony lost patience and pulled forward slightly, then ground back into Bucky, desperate for more.

“Easy now,” Bucky said with a low chuckle, stroking over Tony’s back. “Just want you to be okay.”

“I am fine, Buckaroni. More than fine,” Tony said through clenched teeth, willing himself not to pull forward and fuck himself on Bucky’s cock. “Just don’t like waiting.”

Bucky laughed. “Yeah, I picked up on that.” He pulled back slightly, then buried himself again.

Tony let out a groan. That was what he needed. More of that.

Finally Bucky conceded, pulling almost all the way out and then thrusting in quickly. He set a quick pace, and Tony rocked back into his thrusts. Anything to get more.

It was mesmerizing, watching Bucky’s reflection pushing into him, the way the muscles in his abs flexed as he thrust, his arms rippling where they gripped Tony’s hips. That brow furrow was back, and he bit his lower lip lightly. Tony leaned back and turned just far enough to be able to tease that poor lip out from between his teeth with a kiss, careful not to take his hands off the glass.

Bucky kissed eagerly, fiercely, and it was almost embarrassing how quickly Tony felt that familiar building sensation in his lower body. He was going to come soon, and Bucky hadn’t even touched him.

“Fuck, this is too good,” he managed. “I’m gonna…”

His voice trailed off as Bucky, that relentless bastard, picked up the pace. Bucky’s left arm slid around to Tony’s chest, pulling him against his own chest. A finger ran along his jawline, pushing softly for Tony to turn his head. Tony complied, and Bucky caught Tony’s lips with his in a fierce kiss as he continued to thrust into Tony.

“Nggghh, fuuuu…” The sounds escaped from the back of Tony’s throat as Tony came, streaking the window in white splatters.

“Shit, Tony, you’re incredible,” Bucky murmured in his ear. “So fucking incredible.”

He said the words in rhythm with his thrusts, and if Tony hadn’t just come all over the window, that would have put him over the edge.

“Tony!” Bucky gasped as his orgasm came, rocking hard into Tony. He let his head slump against Tony’s shoulder, his arm still clasped tightly around Tony’s chest to hold him close. 

Tony brought his hand up to give Bucky’s hand a squeeze. He felt Bucky lift his head and saw Bucky’s reflection smiling at him in the glass.

“That was incredible, Tony.”

A grin spread over Tony’s face. “Thanks, I get that a lot.”

Bucky groaned and swatted playfully at Tony’s ass. “Cocky bastard.” He pulled out carefully - still definitely Tony’s least favorite part of sex - and gave Tony’s butt cheek a gentle squeeze. “Come on old man, let’s get cleaned up.”

Bucky was already halfway to the bathroom when Tony finally got himself together enough to follow. 

“Holy shit, this is the biggest bathroom I have ever seen!” he heard Bucky saying. Tony smiled at the sense of wonder in Bucky’s voice. “Well, at least the biggest that wasn't communal.”

Bucky had already stepped under the spray when Tony came into the bathroom, and he quickly joined him. Okay, showering together wasn’t serving any water saving purposes because they definitely spent far longer in there than they would have alone, but it did turn into a glorious make out session. Both were too tired and blissed out to try anything more, but they were clearly enjoying each other’s company, exploring the other’s body with roaming hands and lips. It was nice, just having fun kissing without any of the hurried neediness of foreplay. It had been a long time since Tony had kissed someone simply for kissing’s sake.

Eventually he couldn’t stifle a yawn anymore though, and they eventually turned off the water and tumbled out of the shower. Drying off somehow turned into a towel fight, and then they were both falling onto the bed, wet towels the only thing between them.

Tony let out another yawn.

“Guess I should let you get some sleep,” Bucky started.

Tony grabbed his wrist to stop him before he could pull away. “You shouldn’t go out in this weather.” A smile cracked his lips and he sang quietly “Bucky it’s cold outside…”

Bucky returned the smile and replied, also singing in a fake high-pitched voice “I’ve got to go away.”

He feigned pulling away, but Tony reeled him in closer. “Bucky it’s cold outside…”

“My roommate will start to worry…” he sang, at the same time rolling over to straddle Tony’s hips, not bothered in the slightest when the towel slid away.

“Beautiful, what’s your hurry?”

“There’s bound to be talk tomorrow…”

Tony let out a huff of laughter. “Tale of my life... little sparrow?” His singing trailed off half-way through the line.

Bucky bent down and laughed into Tony’s shoulder. “That doesn’t even rhyme,” he said as he pulled the blanket over Tony and himself.

“It almost does,” Tony protested sleepily.

A warm hand came up to pat Tony’s chest. “You keep telling yourself that, little sparrow. Goodnight, Tony.”

“Night, Buck,” Tony mumbled sleepily. He fell asleep quickly after with Bucky’s warm arms wrapped around him.

***

Tony rolled over to find the bed next to him empty. Alright, well he hadn’t pegged Bucky for the type to hang out and expect brunch, but he had thought he’d at least say goodbye before leaving. Tony was usually the one to beat a hasty retreat the morning after. Or actually just after in general. But despite his sung faux-protests the night before, Tony had been under the impression that Bucky had been happy to stay.

He blinked a few times to clear his vision before rolling out of bed to make his way to the bathroom. As he sat up, he saw Bucky standing at the window, naked as the day he was born, staring out at the city below once again. The streaks Tony had left on the glass the night before were gone, a towel lying discarded on the floor.  
Wow, gorgeous and thoughtful. Bucky really was the full package.

“You really like the view, huh?” Tony got up and crossed the room to where Bucky was standing. He brought a hand up to settle on Bucky’s shoulder blade and carefully nibbled at the muscles of his shoulder. 

“We don’t get views like this in my corner of Brooklyn,” Bucky replied, his tone pensive. He didn’t react to Tony’s nibbles, so Tony pulled him closer.

“Well I’m building a tower just a few blocks over, so come back when it’s done in a few years and you can drink it in all you want. Not that I would mind if you came back before that. Or for other reasons.”

Bucky’s face was blank, the expression wiped off it. “We’ll see if I come back,” he said, barely loud enough for Tony to hear. He moved away, scanning the room for his discarded clothes.

That was unexpected. Tony played back the last few minutes, trying to figure out what he’d said wrong, how to fix this.

He drew a blank.

Bucky settled on the chair in the corner as he pulled on his socks. As far away from Tony as he could.

Well Tony wasn’t about to go chasing after him either. If this was all Bucky had been after, a night of fun with Tony Stark, then so be it. Tony was no stranger to that, after all.

At least it had been a good night for both of them, Tony thought as he headed towards the bathroom. He stopped at the door, turned back to look at Barnes, who was busy lacing up his shoes.

“Well, you change your mind, I’m sure you can put that recon training to use and find me.” 

Tony didn’t bother to wait for a reply from Barnes. When he got out of the shower, the suite was empty.

***

He flew to Afghanistan to demonstrate the Jericho missile a month later.

When they held his head under water, his lungs constricting from the lack of air, for some reason the image that popped in his head was Bucky standing at that window, watching the snow fall over Manhattan.

“Got a family?” he asked Yensen one evening.

“I do,” the man had replied, “and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?”

Again, it was Bucky’s face that came to mind. Why it kept happening, Tony couldn’t explain. It had just been a one-night thing. He’d had others since then; why didn’t they come to mind?

“No,” he ground out.

“No? So you are a man who has everything and nothing,” Yensen remarked.

The man was right, Tony admitted grudgingly to himself. Nothing.

Maybe he could change that if he made it out of that fucking cave. James Barnes of Brooklyn, New York couldn’t be that hard to find.

***

Tony made it out of the cave.

Yensen did not. Tony couldn’t help but think of the man’s family, who would never see their father again. He felt a pang of anger well up at the thought, anger at his kidnappers, but also anger at himself for not getting to Yensen sooner. For letting him down.

His heart monitor started to beep faster. Tony watched the blips on the screen, willing them to go back down. He was not in the mood to see the nurse right now, or anyone really.

He was glad they’d brought him here, to a military hospital in southern Germany. He wasn’t sure he could handle going back to being Tony Stark, Genius CEO, just yet. 

He would need to replace this makeshift arc reactor once he got back, and start working on his new prototype, and to make some major changes at Stark Industries, but for now it was good to stay away from it all for a bit.

He was not dead, but he didn’t quite feel alive.

***

It was the middle of the night, and he was wide awake.

They’d finally stopped keeping him on the leash that was that fucking heart monitor, which was for the best since he would have thrown it out the window if he’d had to listen to it beeping any longer.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed with a heavy sigh and stepped into his slippers. He’d scoffed at the idea of wearing slippers, once upon a time, but the nights were cold here and there was a chill in his bones that had followed him from that cave and refused to leave.

He shuffled down the hall to the wide lounge area. It should have been empty at this time of night, so he was surprised to see the figure standing at the window, silhouetted by the moonlight. The man’s hair hung down into his face. The left sleeve of his nightshirt hung limply, emptily, by his side.

“Hey there, fellow night-owl,” Tony said by way of greeting as he left himself drop into one of the horribly uncomfortable couches.

The man straightened immediately at Tony’s words. 

Maybe Tony had caught him by surprise. He hoped he hadn’t triggered anything.

The man turned, facing Tony with his right side. He cocked his head, paused, then started towards Tony.

“Rough night?” the man asked.

That voice. A shot of panic shot through Tony, followed by hope and quickly smashed down again by reason. No, it couldn’t be. He almost hoped it wasn’t. 

Not here, not in a military hospital. That could only mean one thing - injured in the line of duty.

“Rough couple of months,” Tony replied hesitantly.

The man was next to him now. He dropped down into the couch to Tony’s right.

Tony almost couldn’t bring himself to look over, to meet Bucky’s gaze, but he finally did.

There was sadness in his eyes, and pain, but also happiness. A soft smile spread across his lips as their eyes met.

“Bucky,” Tony finally managed.

“Tony,” Bucky replied.

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Bucky shot back defensively.

“Figured I’d treat myself to some alpine R&R after a slightly less-than-voluntary stint in a cave in Afghanistan.”

“I read about that,” Bucky said with a nod. “Glad you made it out alive.”

“Yeah, you and me both,” Tony said thoughtfully. He realized his hand had come up to cover his chest and he forced it back down. “Took a bit of shrapnel to the chest, though.”

He tried to resist the urge to peer around Bucky to his left arm, or where it should have been, and failed miserably.

Bucky leaned back further into the couch as if trying to hide the empty sleeve.

“Took a bit of shrapnel to the arm. Slightly less-than-voluntary run-in with an IED.” 

“Shit, Bucky, I’m sorry.”

Bucky shrugged with his right shoulder, a slight frown on his face. “Hey, I’m alive. And it’s just an arm. Lots of guys got worse.”

Tony slumped back into the couch, turning Bucky’s words over in his head. He thought of Yensen, of Jimmy and the other soldiers that had been with him in the “Fun-Vee”. He remembered the last words Bucky had said to him that morning. 

“We’ll see if I come back,” he had said.

It suddenly made a lot more sense now. He must have shipped out soon after that.

Bucky was the one to finally break the vacuous silence.

“My physical therapist says they can get me a prosthetic once it heals up a bit more. Always wanted to be a pirate. Maybe I’ll get myself a parrot when I get home.”

There was enough sarcasm in his tone to make Tony laugh. At least he could joke about it. That had to be a good sign, right?

“You know, I hear there’s a guy here that designs all sorts of cool shit. I bet he could make you an arm.”

Bucky turned his head to look at Tony. One corner of his mouth raised to a hesitant smile.

“Oh yeah?” he said, and Tony could have kissed him at the sound of that familiar drawl, the one that sounded like disinterest but actually meant amusement. “What do you think that’s gonna set me back?”

Tony returned the smile. He reached over carefully, placing his hand on Bucky’s knee in an attempt at reassurance. “I hear he really likes coffee. He can probably be bribed to do anything for a cup of coffee.”

Bucky nodded as he placed his hand over Tony’s, clutching his fingers as if his life depended on it. “Think I can manage that. I know a great place in Brooklyn.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Stranded](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868013) by [imafriendlydalek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imafriendlydalek/pseuds/imafriendlydalek)




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